Guide bracket for flush tank valve stems



Aug. 15, 1950 B. o. GRAHAM GUIDE-BRACKET FOR FLUSH TANK VALVE-STEMSFiled Sept. 23, 1946 /l\/l/EI\/7 OE BENJAMIN O. (BRAHAM H TTORA/EY tion35 of the clamping screw 34 is provided with a diametral nick 3! forconventionally receiving a screw driver and is additionally providedwith a transversely extending aperture 38 through which a, nail, awl, orsimilar instrument may be inserted where it is inconvenient orimpossible to employ a screw driver.

When being installed for actual use, the clamp member 21 of the flushtank guide bracket B is loosely slipped up around the end lugs III, II,which are spread sufiiciently far apart to slide freely around theparticular over-flow pipe upon which the guide bracket B is beingmounted. The clamping screw 34 is slipped through the washer and pusheddownwardly between the juxtaposed faces [2, l3, of the end lugs ID, II,and threaded into the aperture 33 of the clamp member 21. Thereupon, theguide bracket B is slipped down over the free upper end of the over-flowpipe 6 until it is located at the desired or proper height above thefloor or bottom wall of the tank A, whereupon it is clamped securely andtightly in place by turning the clamping screw 34, thereby drawing theclamp member 21 upwardly, so that the inner faces 3!, 32, slide camwiseagainst the complementary faces l4, 15, of the end lugs It, I I, forcingthem together and drawing the C-clamp portion 9 into tightv embracingengagement around the over-fiow pipe 6. It should be noted in thisconnection that the transverse width of the clamp member 2'! is slightlysmaller than the distance between the shoulders l6, ll, and the point ofjuncture of the end lugs [0, II, with the C-clamp portion 3.Consequently, the clamp member 27 will be retained by the shoulders IE,IT, and thereby prevented from slipping radially outwardly and off ofthe end lugs IE), I I, during clamping action.

When the guide bracket B is securely clamped to the over-flow pipe 6,the set screw 25 may be loosened and the arm 19 adjusted inwardl oroutwar i as the case may be to bring the axial line of the apertures 23,24, into precise coincidence with the axial line of the valve seat. 4,so that, when the stem 1 is operatively disposed through the apertures23, 24, it will be guided for accurate travel in a vertical linecoincident with such axial line and the syphon ball supported therebywill function properly.

It will be noted by comparison of Figures 3, 7, and 8 that the guidebracket B may be readily adapted to, and mounted upon, over-flow pipeshaving a substantially wide range of different diameters. In actualpractice in the plumbing trade, over-flow pipes usually range indiameter from one inch to one and three-eighths inches and the flushtank guide bracket B will fit equally well upon a small over-flow pipe6, as shown in Figure 3, or upon an intermediate size over-flow pipe 8,as shown in Figure '7, or a large size overflow pipe 6", as shown inFigure 8, and it will, of course, be understood that the guide bracket13 will equally well fit upon over'flow pipes of the adjustable arm I9is hollow for slidable disposition around and upon the arm it. Inaddition, the arm I9 is provided with a threaded aperture 25 forreceiving a set screw 26. Furthermore, the C-clamp portion 9 is providedwith end lugs 10, I I, having inclined or beveled outer faces l4, 15',which are not only inclined downwardly, but also converge inwardly withrespect to the body of the C-clamp portion 9 for co-operation with amodified form of clamp member 'or element 27, which is, in turn,provided with downwardly and inwardly inclined inner faces 3|, 32'. Byreason of the inward convergence of the matching surfaces l4, l5, and3!, 32, the clamp member 21' will not tend to slide outwardly and off ofthe end lugs Hi, ll, during clamping action and the shoulders l8, H, ofthe previously described flush tank guide bracket B may thus be omitted.

It has been found in actual practice that flush tank guide bracketsconstructed in accordance with the present invention are entirelyuniversal and can be readil adapted to fit any style or type of flushtank commonly used in the plumbing trade. Furthermore, flush tank guidebrackets constructed in accordance with the present invention may bereadily and quickly installed and can be tightened, if necessary, by ascrew driver inserted vertically into the tank, thereby making itpossible to secure the flush tank guide bracket tightly in place even inthe most cramped quarters. In addition to this, flush tank guidebrackets of the present invention can be tightened much more securelybecause of the greater clamping action which can be imposed upon theclamp-forming members thereof.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form,construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of theguide bracket may be made and substituted for those herein shown anddescribed without departing from the nature and principle of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A flush tank guide bracket including a fixed arm, an extension armadjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a C-clamp formed on theother end of the fixed arm, said C-clamp being provided with radialextension lugs having inclined faces, a U-shaped clamp element havinginclined faces complementary to the inclined faces on the lugs, andscrew means for drawing the clamp element wedgewise upwardly upon thelugs whereby to draw the lugs together.

2. A flush tank guide bracket including a fixed arm, an extension armadjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a C-clamp formed on theother end of the fixed arm, said C-clamp being provided with radialextension lugs having inclined faces, a U-shaped clamp element havinginclined faces complementary to the inclined faces on the lugs, andscrew means for drawing the clamp element wedgewise upwardly upon thelugs whereby to draw the lugs together, said lugs being providedadjacent their outer extremities with outwardly projecting elements forpreventing the clamp element from slipping off of the lugs while beingdrawn up into clamped position.

3. A flush tank guide bracket'including a fixed arm, an extension armadjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a C-clamp formed on theother end of the fixed arm, said CJ-clamp being provided with radialextension lugs having inclined faces, a U-shaped clamp'element havinginclined faces complementary .to the inclined faces on the lugs, andscrew means for drawin the clamp element wedgewise upwardly upon thelugs whereby to draw the lugs together, said inclined faces on the lugsand the complemental inclined faces on the clamp element being furtherconverged in the plane of the c-clamp to prevent the clamp element fromslipping off of the lugs while being drawn into clamped position.

4. A flush tank guide bracket including a fixed arm, an extension armadjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a c-clamp formed on theother end of the fixed arm, said C-clamp being provided with radialextension lugs having inner flat faces and outer inclined faces, stopshoulders provided on said lugs adjacent the inclined faces, a clampelement having opposed upstanding legs having inclined facescomplementarily inclined to the inclined faces of the lugs, and screwmeans for drawing the clamp element wedgewise upwardly upon the lugswhereby to draw the lugs together.

5. A flush tank guide bracket including a fixed arm, an extension armadjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a c-clamp formed on theother end of the fixed arm, said O-clamp being provided with radialextension lugs having inclined faces, a U-shaped clamp element havinginclined faces complementary to the inclined faces of the lugs, a washermember adapted to rest flushwise upon the upper face of the end lugs,and screw means adapted to extend through said washer member and theclamp element for drawing the clamp element wedgewise upwardly upon thelugs to draw them together.

6. A flush tank guide bracket including a fixed arm, an extension armadjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a C-clamp formed on theother end of the fixed arm, said C-clamp being provided with radialextension lugs having inner flat faces and outer inclined faces, a U-shaped clamp element having inclined faces complementary to the inclinedfaces on the lugs, a washer member adapted to rest on the upper surfacesof the lugs, a screw member adapted to extend downwardly through thewasher and the clamp element for drawing the clamp element wedgewiseupwardly upon the lugs to draw them together, and shoulders provided onsaid lugs to prevent radially outward slipping of the clamp elementduring clamping action.

BENJAMIN O. GRAHAM.

REFERENCES CITED .The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,767,519 Duncan June 24, 19301,838,355 Benjamin Dec. 29, 1931 2,004,504 Lyons June 11, 1935 2,016,840Schubert Oct. 8, 1935

